Born On A Sunday (An Adoption Birth Story) - Pt. 2

This story is long because this journey was long. Four years long. I share it here for Dominic, but also for all those who may still be on the long road to adopting. May it bring encouragement to all those who are patiently waiting for an answer to their prayers.

Part 2 of 6

For Dominic.

One by one, the months went by, and we still had no leads on any adoption situations. In January 2016, we completed our home study again for the fourth time. In spite of the trials we’d already been through, our love and desire to adopt again never wavered. However, by this point, it had been over three years since that October in 2012 when we’d prayerfully decided to adopt again and by now, our dream seemed like only that…a dream. Added to the pain that came from so much waiting and rejection now was the added pain of losing the support and encouragement of our extended family and friends. Any excitement felt by others had long subsided. Our plans to adopt again were never brought up in conversations anymore, except between your father and me, and we were beyond discouraged. In the years that we’d been waiting, other family members and friends had conceived and given birth, sometimes more than once. We watched as other adoptive families were matched with birthmothers after only a few weeks or months of waiting, while our 3-year wait began to drag into four years.

In a nutshell, we were losing hope. Had all the prayer and effort been for naught? Did we misinterpret God’s desire for us? Why would God ask us to wait so long, especially given our age? We had no choice but to trust the calling we felt so strongly. But because our age was a factor for us, along with the accumulation of our adoption expenses, we decided that we would keep trying, but only for one more year.  Ina strange way, it felt good to know our waiting would be over at the end of theyear, and we worked hard on accepting that however the year ended, it would be part of God's plan for us. We were now very weary under the weight of what had become a another cross to carry.

Six more months went by, and we continued to present our profile to a few birthmothers, only to be rejected again and again. Then, one day, a message came to us from our adoption consultant. “Just for you,” our adoption consultant told us, because we had been waiting for so long. In this unique case, your birthmother had asked her agency to make the match for her, and in their mercy, the consultant and agency had given us first chance because we'd been waiting the longest.  A baby, due due in two months. Were we interested?  Yes!  Of course! We had been waiting so, so long for this moment. Could it be real?  We dared not get our hopes up.

It was a Hispanic baby, we were told, gender unknown, to be born in Houston, Texas. We contacted the agency and felt good about the situation. “Lord, help us make the right decision,” we prayed. A few days later, on June 24, 2016, we were officially matched. It was your father’s birthday, and the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Little did we know then that this saint would play a major role in your birth story.

The preparations began for your arrival.  The nursery was painted and we told our families the good news.  Unfortunately, they were hesitant to believe our news could be real. After almost four years, they’d lost all hope, so instead of sharing in our joy, they responded with apathy and doubt. But your father and I refused to be robbed of the joy we were feeling in our hearts as we prepared to meet you. Hope was all we had, and we were going to hold onto it until the very end. We counted down the days, and put up the baby crib.Your brothers talked excitedly about having a new baby brother. We were all so ready to meet you, and we put complete trust in God’s love and protection as we prepared to make our longest journey yet.